Dream and sleep #4: Cultivating memory and joyful effort

From The Four Foundational Practices of Dream and Sleep

The fourth foundational practice is engaged upon awaking in the morning. It further cultivates strong intention and also strengthens the capacity to remember the events of the night.

Begin by reviewing the night. The Tibetan term for this preparation is literally “remembering.” Did you dream? Were you aware that you were in a dream? If you dreamed but did not attain lucidity, you should reflect, “I dreamed but did not recognize the dream as a dream. But it was a dream.” Resolve that next time you enter a dream you will become aware of its true nature while still in the dream.

If you find it difficult to remember dreams, it can be helpful, throughout the day and particularly before sleep, to generate a strong intention to remember dreams. You can also record dreams in a notepad or with a tape recorder, as this will reinforce the habit of treating your dreams as something valuable. The very act of preparing the notebook or recorder at night serves to support the intention to recall the dream upon waking. It is not difficult for anyone to remember dreams once the intention to do so is generated and sustained, even over just a few days.

If you did have a lucid dream, feel joy at the accomplishment. Develop happiness relative to the practice and resolve to continue to develop the lucidity the following night. Keep building intention, using both successes and failures as occasions to develop ever stronger intent to accomplish the practice. And know that even your intention is a dream.

Finally, during the morning period, generate a strong intention to remain consistent in the practice throughout the day. And pray with your full heart for success; prayer is like a magical power that we all have and forget to use. This practice merges into the first foundational practice, recognizing all experience as a dream. In this fashion the practice becomes uninterrupted around the wheel of day and night.

From The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

 

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